A review by sb_037
Beasts of a Little Land by Juhea Kim

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

The best way to describe this book is a literary tapestry of human lives. There are moments that really emphasize the cyclical nature of life and how bittersweet that can be in a skilled way. This book doesn’t elicit a higher rating from me because for all it does, I’m left with wanting something more, there’s something missing — something from the characters that would convince me of the ultimate conclusions. I bring this yearning down to the fact that Kim, despite her efforts, was unable to make truly “gray” characters; at the end, they’re still black and white, good and bad. Perhaps it’s because of wartime or the severity of atrocities that some commit.